Effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on acoustic characteristics of play fighting-induced ultrasonic vocalizations in juvenile rats.

Effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on acoustic characteristics of play fighting-induced ultrasonic vocalizations in juvenile rats. Neurotoxicology. 2020 Apr 12;: Authors: Shahrier MA, Wada H Abstract Juvenile rats display rough-and-tumble playing with conspecifics (play fighting behavior) and produce 22 and 50 kHz ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). The 22 kHz USV is considered to reflect negative emotionality such as anxiety, fear, and distress, whereas the 50 kHz USV is considered to reflect positive emotionality such as joy, happiness, and satisfaction. USV is a sensitive tool for measuring emotionality in socially interactive situations. However, effects of prenatal ethanol-exposure on the acoustic characteristics of play fighting-induced USVs have remained unclear. In Experiment I, we recorded USVs produced by prenatally ethanol-exposed rats during play fighting on postnatal days (PNDs) 40-42 and examined the acoustic characteristics of negative and positive emotion-induced USVs. In Experiment II, we examined the anxiety levels through elevated plus maze testing on PNDs 37-39 and frequencies of playful attacks on PNDs 43-45 in ethanol-exposed rats. Ethanol was administered to pregnant rats in three gradually increased concentrations between gestational days (GDs) 8 and 20. From GDs 14 to 20, ethanol-containing tap water at concentrations of 30% and 15% (v/v) was administered to the high- and low-ethanol groups, respectively...
Source: Neurotoxicology - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Neurotoxicology Source Type: research